Soldiers, sea rescue workers, firefighters and mountain rescue teams were working through day and night in Cumbria on 6 December after the north-west was hit by flooding that observers say has been on an unprecedented scale.

Trains running from London to Scotland via the main north-west line had been cancelled and it has been reported that two hospitals were among those hit by power outages. Around 200 homes were evacuated in Carlisle where Britain's lifeboat rescue service and mountain rescue teams were at work. John Whiteley of Cheshire Fire and Rescue, in a team dinghy, outlined that the dangers were not just from the water.

Residents who have lost access to their homes or face severe damage face a bleak Christmas season. Footballers from local team Carlisle United have offered to help flooded-out residents. Their own ground has been submerged under the floodwaters. Provisional figures show that 13.4in of rain fell on Cumbria in a 24-hour period.